Knitting machine



'mh 1, 194e.' E. WILDT ETAL 396,767

l .KNITTING MACHINE i Fied Aug. 28, 1944- 4 sheets-sheet v1 ATTORNEYMarch 19, 1946. E. WILDT ETAL. 2,396,767

' KNITTING MACHINE Filed Aug. 28,. 1944 4 shets-sheet 2 kF/Gz'.

March 1,9, 19461. y E. WILDT ETAL 2,396,767

y KNITTING MACHINE f Filed Aug. 8, 1944 4 sheets-sheet s F/G.2A.

March 19, 1946, E. WILDT Em. 2,396,767

KNITTING MACHINE Filled Aug. l28, V1944 4 Sheetsf-Sheef 4 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 19, 1946 KNITTIN G MACHINE Edwin Wildt, Henry HaroldHolmes, and John Cyril Herbert Hurd, Leicester, England, assignors toWildt and Company Limited, Leicester, England, a British companyApplication August 28, 1944, Serial No. 551,518 In Great BritainSeptember 6, 1943 13 Claims. ,(Cl. Gli-135) This invention concernsknitting machines and has for its object the provision of a machine forproducing fabric involving a `combination of structure and patterneffects such as that disclosed in the specification of our co-pendingapplication Serial No. 551,519.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of so much of the head of acircular knitting machine of the superposed rotary needle cylinder typeas is necessary to illustrate the application of the invention thereto,

Figures 2 and 2A are developed views of the cam systems of the machineas seen from inside the top and bottom cam boxes,

Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional View of the shogging mechanismwith which the machine is furnished,

Figure 4 is a plan view of this mechanism, and Figure 5 is a detail planview of a portion of a dial cam system of the machine showing cams forcontrolling and operating the lap or wrap thread guides.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout thedrawings.

Referring to Figure l, the circular knitting machine therein shownincludes rotary bottom or plain and top or rib needle cylinders I and 2respectively. Double-ended latch needles such as 3 are provided foroperation in these cylinders, which latter are also furnished withsliders 4 for operating the needles, when knitting, and for transferringneedles from one cylinder to the other for purposes now well known tothose acquainted with the art concerned. To each needle 3 there are twosliders 4, one in the bottom cylinder I and the other in the topcylinder 2. The customary holding down sinkers or web holders forcc-operation with the needles are indicated at 5, and at 6 is shown averge to assist in rib knitting. A cam box 'I surrounding the bottomcylinder houses cams for operating and controlling the sliders in thatcylinder, While for similarly operating and controlling the sliders inthe top cylinder there are cams in an associated cam box 8. Forproducing interlock fabric with webs of l/ 1 rib combination, the bottomand top needle operating sliders 4 are set out in the manner illustratedin Figure 2. In this figure, however, only such of the sliders as areactually in operation for the production of such fabric are shown, allof the remaining, i. e. idle, sliders being omitted for the sake ofclarity: in practice there would,

vrof course, be a slider 4 in each ofthe tricksla Aengaged with thebottom and top sliders iA co- Y operate to knit one of the ribbed webs,whilst the vplain and rib needles engaged with the corresponding sliders4B similarly co-operate to knit the other ribbed web of the fabric. Inthis machine there are also four circumferentially spaced feeders, viz.two odd feeders F1 and F3 and intervening even feeders F and F4, forsupplying yarns y and y1 independently to the respective sets ofneedles, together with different sets of cams for operating the saidsets. The two webs are therefore in effect independently knitted buthave crossed sinker wales as a result of which an interlocking structureis produced. To this Yenel the sliders l in the respective sets areprovided with butts in different planes and are appropriatelyprearranged in the bottom and top cylinders in conjunction withappropriate ca'm systems respectively disposed in the bottom and top camboxes l and 8 suchwise that the two sets of needles knit respectively atthe spaced feeders. Thus, as will be seen, the sliders liA in the bottomcylinder are each formed with a knitting butt b accommodated in an uppertrack T1 in the cam box l. In this track there are, at each of the twoodd feeders F1 and F3, a clearing cam 9, a cam Iii for retractingappropriate needles to an extent suicient to enable them toA takeknitting yarn y and a plain stitch cam I l. Similarly, the co-operatingsliders lA in the top cylinder are each formed with a knitting butt b1accommodated in a track T2 in the top cam box 8. At the feeder F1, inthe track T2, there is a clearing cam i2, a cam I3 for withdrawingappropriate rib needles to feeding level at which they take another yarny and a rib stitch cam Iii, whereas at the feeder F3 there is anotherstitch cam I4 and the feeding level is indicated at I5. The sliders 4Bin the bottoni Cylinder are each formed with a knitting butt b2accommodated in a lower track T3 in the cam box 'l in which track-ateach of the twoeven feeders F2 and :P4- there is a cam i6 forpositioning the needles engaged with the said sliders 4B at feedinglevel at which they take knitting yarn y1, followed by a plain stitchcam I1. At the feeder F2, moreover, the cam IB is preceded by a clearingcam I8. Again, the sliders 4B in the top cylinder are formed withknitting butts b3 which travel in a track T4. At each of the evenfeeders F2 and F4 in the last mentioned track there is a cam i9 forpositioning rib needles at the feeding level and a rib stitch cam 2D. Aclearing car'n 2l is also provided at the feeder F2. For convenience inthe following further description, the four knitting stations. readingfrom left to right of Figure 2, are designated by the reference lettersK1, K2, K3 and K.

As will be understood, with the cam systems described the two sets ofneedles knit at the feeders alternately. I

Each of the sliders 4 in the bottom cylinder is also provided with atransfer butt tb for engagement at appropriate times with a bottomtransfer cam 22 whereby the slider is raised to position its needle fortransference to the opposing slider in the top cylinder. Similarly, eachof the sliders in the top cylinder `is provided with a transfer butt tblfor engagement, when occasion demands, with a top transfer cam 23adapted to advance the slider to position the needle then engagedthereby for transference to the opposing slider in the bottom cylinder.Whenever a bottom slider is raised by the transfer cam 22, the opposingslider is advanced by reason of engagement of its butt tbl with a cam 24to an extent sufficient to receive the needle thus transferred from thebottom to the top cylinder. In a similar way, bottom sliders are raisedby a cazn 25 to receive needles transferred downwardly from the top tothe bottom cylinder, It will be noted that the bottom and top transfercams 22 and 23 are located between the knitting stations K1 and K3..Moreover, between the knitting stations K3 and K4 are two furthertransfer cams 26 and 21 in the tracks T3 and T4 for engagement, whenrequired, with the knitting butts b2 and .b3 `respectively. Needlesassociated with bottom sliders raised by the transfer `cam 26 arereceived by top sliders which latter are advanced by a' .followingtransference of a needle in either set from one cylinder to the otherthat needle is passed through a knitting station and thereby restored tosuch a level that it can pass a knitting station at which needles of theother set knit.

In combination with the machine there is provided embroidery mechanismof the general character described in the specification of United StatesPatent No. 2,292,941.. This mechanism includes a single circular seriesof lap or wrap thread guides such as that shown at 30 in Figure l, saidguides being `arranged in a horizontally disposed dial 3| which ismounted withinthe needle cylinders l and 2 concentrically therewith.There are as many guides 3U as there are needles of one set in thebottom cylinder. The dial is provided with a flanged portion 31a to.enable it to be supported by an annular support '32. This `support isflanged at `32a and thereby adapted for movement circumferentiallybetween two superposed supporting rings 33 and 34 attached both to eachother and to the top cylinder 2. By reason of this lconstruction thedial can be shogged as and for the purposes hereinafter described. Eachof the thread guides 34) is formed at its operative end with adownwardly directed right angular extension tta which is laterally bentin the manner depicted in Figure 5. The upper edge of each thread guideis formed with a butt 35h for engagement with suitable operating cams.In addition each guide has a rearwardly extending tail butt 39o so as toenable same to be used in conjunction with selecting means forcontrolling the operation of the guides according to the effects to beachieved. The tail butts are provided at respectively different levelsso as to be Alocated in correspondingly different planes heightwise. Asshown in Figure 1, the thread guides are initially formed with aplurality of frangible tail butts 36e which can be readily broken olfaccording to requirements. A stationary cam plate 35 is supported abovethe dial 3l and on its underside is furnished with appropriate cams foraction on th-e butts 36h. For action upon the tail butts 313e at eachfeeder there is provided a horizontally disposed selector -cam 3E(Figures 3 and 5) which is movablev vertically into any one of theaforesaid different planes in which tail butts are located, or to aneutral position clear of said butts, according to patterningrequirements. Each selector cam `3B advances appropriate embroiderythread guides 30 for lapping or wrapping purposes and is arranged andoperated substantially as described in the prior specificationaforesaid. The embroidery threads are supplied by selected guides 30 toappropriate needles in the bottom cylinder at the same level as that atwhich the yarns y and y1 are fed. That is to say, before it islapped orwrapped by an embroidery thread, a needle is withdrawn somewhat byreason of the corresponding slider being engaged by one of the cams I0or i6, as the case may be. Accordingly, each of the knitting stations inthe bottom cam box 'i is also a wrapping station. When, with thearrangements described, a wrapping action takes place either at thefeeder K1 or K3, the needles associated with the sliders 4B are out ofthe range of the lap or wrap thread guides 39 which latter are at thistime selected to Wrap only needles associated with sliders dA.Conversely, when wrapping at feeder K2 or K4, needles associated withthe sliders dA are out of the range of the guides 3B.

If desired, the alternative thread guide selecting mechanism describedin the prior specificaarranged for action upon the stepped cam 31 toimpart turning movement to the latter and hence also to the disc cam 38one or more steps in one direction or the other, and connections betweensaid disc cam and the annular support 32 whereby the latter can beshogged one or more times in one direction or the other to a requiredextent. As shown in Figure 4, said connections include a pivoted lever42 adapted to be acted upon by the disc cam A38, and a shoe 43 on thislever which engages a member Y44! mounted to move bodily with theannular support 32.

Alternatively, the needles may be shogged in relation to the threadguides.

Instead of selectively operating the thread guides, the cylinder needlesmay be selectively operated as by pattern controlling selecting meansincluding a rotary wheel, drum or jacquard band and racking mechanism,with or without intermediate selectors, and operated in the manneraforesaid, so that selected needles are moved lengthwise, e. g. raisedor lowered, in relation to the guides suchwise that only needles whichare raised or left raised are lapped or wrapped with embroidery threads.Y

All of the embroidery thread guides may be supplied with threads of-thesame character or colour, so that if a succession or all of the needlesin the bottom cylinder are lapped or wrapped, horizontal stripingeffects of a corresponding solid character or colour will be produced.Alternatively the guides may be supplied with contrasting threadsalternately, or in any other desired order, so that if a succession orall of the needles in the bottom cylinder are lapped or wrapped,horizontal striping with corresponding contrasting effects, coursewise,will appear in the knitted fabric. By suitable shogging of the threadguides contrasting solid horizontal striping effects are produced indesired sequence Walewise. For example, black threads may be supplied tothe guides corresponding with needles which knit at one feeder, and redthreads may be supplied to the guides corresponding with the needleswhich knit at the next feeder. Thus black stitches would appear on theplain wales of one web and red stitches would appear on the plain walesof the other web, i. e. black and red stitches alternately in thecoursewise direction. By shogging the guides at appropriate times inrelation to the needles, or vice versa,. and operating the guides sothat either black or red threads are lapped or wrapped on the plainneedles knitting at both feeders, black or red stitches would beproduced, in coursewise` succession, on the plain wales or both websthus forming solid black or solid red horizontal striping effects.Shogging and operating the guides so that black threads are served atboth feeders for a course or courses alternately would produce solidblack and red stripes alternately in the walewise direction of thefabric. Appropriate intermediate selection of the guides, or theneedles, would produce a diversity of effects on the ground fabricbetween stripes. When a succession or all of the guides are suppliedwith threads all of the same character, e. s. red, the guides may serveall of the said threads to the bottom cylinder needles of one set at onefeeder, and, thereafter, as the result of shogging at the appropriatetime, may serve the bottom cylinder needles of the other set with thesame threads at the next feeder, thus again producing solid horizontalstripes. Also by shogging at suitable intervals horizontal stripes maybe produced in desired walewise sequence with or without other effectsin the intervening courses of the ground fabric.

The shogging mechanism may also be adapted to produce shogged effectsfrom the same threads in diierent wales of one or each of the Webs sothat inclined or diagonal, zig-zag, crossed and like lines of lap orwrap stitches are produced, o1' from dilferent threads in the same waless as further to diversify the pattern effect.

Means may also be provided for moving any desired bottom cylinder needleor/and a guide lengthwise relatively so that the embroidery thread islaid either below the hook suchwise as -to be engaged by the needle hookto form a stitch,

or further from the hook, e. g. below the latch in the illustratedexample (or well below the beard of a bearded needle) so as thus to bemerely interconnected with the ground fabric to form loops, as distinctfrom stitches, as hereinbefore mentioned. For example, when needleselecting mechanism is provided `the same mechanism, or an additionalsimilar mechanism, may be adapted to move a desired needle or needles toone or the other of two alternative positions so that in one positionlap or wrap stitches are formed, and in the other position merely loopsare formed.` Or a similar selecting mechanism, adapted to function invthis way, may be provided in association with the guides for producinga like result.

What we claim then is:

1. A knitting machine which includes, in combination, two needle beds,two sets of needles, one half of each set being in alternatingrelationship in one bed and the remainder of each set in similarrelationship in the other bed, feeders for introducing yarns to the saidsets of needles, corresponding sets of cam systems for causing therespective sets of needles to knit-independently, and mechanism forwrapping desired needles with embroidery thread.

2. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders for operating theneedles, said needles and associated sliders being arranged in twoindependently operable sets wherein needles and sliders of one setalternate with the needles and sliders of the other set in each of thecylinders, feeders for supplying yarns independently to the respectivesets of needles, different sets of cams for operating the said sets ofneedles, and embroidery mechanism comprising thread guiding meansoperable in conjunction with needles in the bottom cylinder and meansfor operating said guides so as to wrap desired bottom cylinder needleswith embroidery thread.

3. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination, a bottomneedle cylinder, a cam box surrounding said cylinder, a superposed topcylinder, another cam box similarly surrounding said top cylinder,double-ended needles for operation in said cylinders, sliders in thecylinders for operating the needles, said needles and associated slidersbeing arranged in two independently operable sets wherein needles andsliders of one set alternate with the needles and sliders of the otherset in each of the cylinders, and the sliders of the two sets beingprovided with knitting butts in respectively different planes, feedersfor supplying yarns independently to the respective sets of needles, camsystems disposed at different levels in the bottom and top cam boxes foraction on the butts in the different planes so that the two sets ofneedles knit respectively at spaced feeders, and embroidery mechanismcomprising thread guiding means operable in conjunction with needles inthe bottom cylinder and means for operating said guides so as to wrapdesired bottom cylinder needles with embroidery thread.

4. A knitting machine which includes, in combination, two needle beds,two sets of needles, one half of each set being in alternatingrelationship in one bed and the remainder of each set in similarrelationship in the other bed, feeders for inually operable threadguides and means for so operating the said guides selectively thatdesired ones of corresponding needles in one of the needle beds arewrapped with .embroidery thread.

5. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders `for operating theneedles, said needles and associated slidersbeing arranged in twoindependently operable sets wherein needles and sliders of one setalternate with the needles and sliders of the other .set in each of thecylinders, feeders for supplying yarns independently to the respectivesets of needles, dierent sets of cams for operating the said sets ofneedles, and embroidery mechanism comprising as many individuallyoperable thread guides as there are needles of one set in the bottomcylinder and means for so operating the .said

guides selectively that desired ones of said bottom cylinder needles arewrapped with embroidery thread.

6. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders for operating theneedles, said needles and associated sliders being arranged in twoindependently operable sets wherein needles and sliders of Aone setalternate with the needles and sliders of :the other set in each of thecylinders, a plurality of feeders for supplying yarns independently tothe respective sets of needles, different sets of cams for operating thesaid sets of needles and causing them to knit at the feedersalternately, cam means located between the knitting stations at thefeeders for eectng transference ofneedles from one cylinder to theother, and embroidery mechanism comprising thread guiding means operablein conjunction with needles in the bottom cylinder and ymeans foroperating said guides so as to wrap desired bottom cylinder needles withembroidery thread.

7. A knitting machine which includes, in combination, two needle beds,two sets of needles, one half of each set being in alternatingrelationship in one bed and the remainder of each set in Iio similarrelationship in the other bed, feeders` for introducing yarns to thesaid sets of needles, corresponding sets of cam systems for causing therespective sets of needles to knit independently, embroidery mechanismcomprising individually operable thread guides and means for sooperating the said guides selectively that desired ones of correspondingneedles in one of the needle beds are wrapped with embroidery thread,and means for shogging the guides and needles relatively, for thepurposes herein specied.

8. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders for operating theneedles, said needles and associated sliders being arranged in twoindependently operable sets wherein needles and sliders of one setalternate with the needles and sliders of the other set in each of thecylinders, feeders for supplying yarns independently to the respectivesets `of needles, dierent sets of cams for operating the said sets ofneedles, movable thread guides for wrapping embroidery threads around.desired needles in the bottom cylinder, a grooved carrier for saidthread .guides which carrier is arranged suchwise as to enable theguides to be moved in a plane at right angles to the axis of the needlecylinders,

and means for operating the guides.

9. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders for operating theneedles, said needles and associated sliders being arranged intwo'independently operable sets wherein needles and sliders of one setalternate with the needles and sliders of the other set in each of thecylinders, feeders for supplying yarns independently to the respectivesets of needles, ,different sets of cams for operating the said sets ofneedles, movable thread guides for wrapping embroidery threads arounddesired needles in the lbottom cylinder, said guides beingdifferentiated from each other by the provision thereon of patterningbutts so disposed as to be located in different planes, a -groovedcarrier for the thread guides which carrier is arranged suchwise as toenable the guides to be moved in a plane at right angles to the axis ofthe needle cylinders, a selecting cam movable into any one of theaforementioned planes for action upon desired patterning butts for thepurpose of advancing predetermined guides to Wrap.

10. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders for operating theneedles, said needles and associated sliders being arranged in twoindependently operable sets wherein needles and sliders of one setalternate with the needles and sliders of the other set in each of thecylinders, feeders for supplying yarns independently to the respectivesets of needles, different sets of cams for operating the said sets ofneedles, movable thread guides for wrapping embroidery threads arounddesired needles in the bottom cylinder for the purpose of obtaining wrapstriping effects, a grooved carrier for said thread guides which carrieris arranged suchwise as to enable the guides to be moved in a planewhich is normal to the axis of the aforesaid cylinders, means foroperating the guides, and means for shogging the thread guides overneedles.

11. A circular knitting machine which includes, in combination,superposed bottom and top needle cylinders, double-ended needles foroperation in said cylinders, sliders in the cylinders foroperating theneedles, said needles and associated sliders being arranged in twoindependently operable sets wherein needles and slidlers of one setalternate with the needles and sliders of the other set in each of thecylinders, feeders for supplying yarns independently to the respectivesets of needles, different sets of cams for operating the said sets ofneedles, movable thread guides for Wrapping embroidery threads arounddesired needles the bottom cylinder for the purpose of obtaining wrapstriping elects, a grooved carrier for said thread guides which carrieris arranged suchwise as to enable the guides to be moved in a planewhich is normal to the axis of the cylinders, means for operating theguides, and mechanism for eiecting turning movements of the thread guidecarrier independently of the needle cylinders for the purpose ofshogging the thread guides, said mechanism compm'sing a stepped cam, adisc cam to which said .stepped cam is connected, a support upon whichsaid cams are mounted and which is fixed in relation to the needlecydinder, plungers arranged for action upon the stepped cam to impartturning movement to the latter and hence also to the disc cam in onedirection or the other, means for controlling said plungers inaccordance with patterning requirements, and connections between saiddisc cam and 4the thread guide carrier whereby the latter can be shoggedto a desired extent in one direction or the other.

12. A knitting machine which includes, in combination, two needle beds,two sets of needles, one half of each set being in alternatingrelationship in one bed and the remainder of each set in similarrelationship in the other bed, a plurality of feeders for supplyingyarns independently to the respective sets of needles, different sets ofcams for operating the said sets of needles and causing them to knit atthe feeders alternately, cam means located between the knitting stationsat the feeders for effecting transference of needles from one needle bedto the other, and mechanism for wrapping desired needles with embroiderythread.

13. A knitting machine which includes, in combination, two needle beds,two sets of latch needles, one half of each set being in alternatingrelationship in one bed and the remainder of each set in similarrelationship in the other bed, feeders for introducing yarns to the saidsets of needles. corresponding sets of cam systems for causing therespective sets of needles to knit independently, embroidery mechanismcomprising individually operable thread guides and means for operatingsaid guides so that desired needles in one of the beds are wrapped withembroidery thread, and means for moving any desired needie andcorresponding thread guide relatively so that an embroidery thread islaid below the latch of the needle, for the purpose herein described.

EDWIN WILDT. HENRY HAROLD HOLMES. JOHN CYRIL HERBERT HURD.

